John Moorlach

Over a dinner of lemon chicken at Chriss Street's house in November 2005, John Moorlach asked Street if he had any skeletons in his closet that might complicate his campaign for county treasurer. The pair had been friends for more than a decade, dating to the gloomy days of Orange County's bankruptcy, which both had predicted. Now Moorlach, who would soon be elected to the county Board of Supervisors, was going to help Street get elected as his successor in the county treasurer's office.

Sixteen years after its treasurer drove Orange County into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, the man now holding the office -- haunted by his own legal battles -- has announced that he would surrender his investment powers and bow out of his reelection bid. Amid calls for his resignation and a stern rebuke from a federal judge, Treasurer Chriss Street said he would give up authority over the county's roughly $5-billion investment pool....

It is no surprise that the Los Angeles Times has endorsed liberal Democratic partisan activist Robert Citron for treasurer-tax collector. The Times always endorses the most liberal of candidates in any race. Likewise, the people of Orange County regularly reject the recommendations of The Times when they go to the polls. Citron has never met a tax he didn't like, and neither has the editorial page of The Times. Citron has repeatedly used his nonpartisan office for partisan political purpose.

John Moorlach, the Orange County treasurer-turned-supervisor who threatened to upend the county's relationships with its public employees unions when he took office little more than a year ago, became chairman of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday -- but left out the fiery rhetoric that characterized his once-aggressive stance.

Re "O.C. taxpayers shell out for newly elected officials' digs," June 3 The voters of Orange County need to burn the following names into their memory: county supervisors John Moorlach, Patricia Bates and Janet Nguyen and county Treasurer Chriss Street. And then they must act accordingly if these names appear on a ballot again. That these greedy, self-centered people thumb their noses at the taxpayers with $9,000 desks, Herman Miller chairs and 52-inch TV sets is appalling behavior.

Regarding "Panelist Says Moorlach Not Ready for Pool" (June 7): Isn't it wonderful. Now John M.W. Moorlach is calling Gary Pulford "a jerk" who "doesn't know anything." Doesn't know anything? A member of the county's Treasury Oversight Committee. Vice president of First American Trust! Isn't this the same type of political arrogance that got us into this mess to begin with? The assumption that the rest of us don't know anything? And only our "know everything" county officials do or did?

After a roller-coaster ride through local politics, former Mayor John Hedges and his family have moved to Charlottesville, Va. The Hedges bought a farm, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, said John Moorlach, Orange County's treasurer and a family friend. The Hedgeses moved several weeks ago after a couple offered them cash for their Balboa Peninsula home, Moorlach added. Escrow on the home closed in two weeks, and before many of the Hedgeses' friends knew it, they were gone.

Re "Moorlach Gets to Dip a Toe in County Pool," May 25: I personally would like to applaud the Board of Supervisors on both the timing as well as the magnitude of this move. I still believe that the treasurer's office which existed just one year ago was not ready to take over the management of the county's investment pool, but today I feel that John Moorlach and his team have earned the opportunity to prove that they have the talent necessary to handle this initial responsibility.

John Moorlach, the Orange County treasurer-turned-supervisor who threatened to upend the county's relationships with its public employees unions when he took office little more than a year ago, became chairman of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday -- but left out the fiery rhetoric that characterized his once-aggressive stance.

Rejecting the advice of top county officials, a majority of Orange County supervisors said Wednesday they are prepared to appoint accountant John M.W. Moorlach as the county's next treasurer-tax collector, possibly as early as next week. At a special board meeting, the supervisors dismissed recommendations from acting Treasurer Thomas Daxon and Chief Executive Officer William J.

Over a dinner of lemon chicken at Chriss Street's house in November 2005, John Moorlach asked Street if he had any skeletons in his closet that might complicate his campaign for county treasurer. The pair had been friends for more than a decade, dating to the gloomy days of Orange County's bankruptcy, which both had predicted. Now Moorlach, who would soon be elected to the county Board of Supervisors, was going to help Street get elected as his successor in the county treasurer's office.

Re "O.C. taxpayers shell out for newly elected officials' digs," June 3 The voters of Orange County need to burn the following names into their memory: county supervisors John Moorlach, Patricia Bates and Janet Nguyen and county Treasurer Chriss Street. And then they must act accordingly if these names appear on a ballot again. That these greedy, self-centered people thumb their noses at the taxpayers with $9,000 desks, Herman Miller chairs and 52-inch TV sets is appalling behavior.

In one brilliant doomsayer's moment 10 years ago, John Moorlach built up enough credibility to last a professional lifetime. As the lone and much-criticized voice warning that Orange County's highly touted investment portfolio risked financial meltdown -- months before the county would declare the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history -- Moorlach secured his place in local history. His license plate reads "SKYFELL."

If there's a patron saint for guilty columnists, it would have to be Orange County treasurer John Moorlach. At least, he'd be mine. That's because my biggest regret in nine years at this post was not listening to the lanky Moorlach when he ran for treasurer in 1994 and warned against incumbent Robert Citron's investment strategies.

After a roller-coaster ride through local politics, former Mayor John Hedges and his family have moved to Charlottesville, Va. The Hedges bought a farm, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, said John Moorlach, Orange County's treasurer and a family friend. The Hedgeses moved several weeks ago after a couple offered them cash for their Balboa Peninsula home, Moorlach added. Escrow on the home closed in two weeks, and before many of the Hedgeses' friends knew it, they were gone.

While I'm certain that the congregation where Orange County Treasurer John M.W. Moorlach conducts his ministry is beaming with pride at the public declaration of his faith on your pages Dec. 19, Christians elsewhere may be cringing. Moorlach finds it "amusing" that people worry about Christians, but I fear that his very conduct is leading to such worries, for it appears that his use of his Bible is very selective, guided by his own predispositions, selecting those passages that suit him and ignoring others less convenient.

While I'm certain that the congregation where Orange County Treasurer John M.W. Moorlach conducts his ministry is beaming with pride at the public declaration of his faith on your pages Dec. 19, Christians elsewhere may be cringing. Moorlach finds it "amusing" that people worry about Christians, but I fear that his very conduct is leading to such worries, for it appears that his use of his Bible is very selective, guided by his own predispositions, selecting those passages that suit him and ignoring others less convenient.

To blame Republicans, Democrats or Proposition 13 is naive at best and non-dimensional at worst. Orange County residents are now getting the opportunity to wake up to the political realities of a world where money speaks louder than idealism. Lobbying, campaign contributions and controlling laws to benefit not the constituency but the people who make money off of money are just the tip of the iceberg. The most foolish notion expressed so far is not to be terribly concerned since this is just a "paper loss."

Re "Moorlach Gets to Dip a Toe in County Pool," May 25: I personally would like to applaud the Board of Supervisors on both the timing as well as the magnitude of this move. I still believe that the treasurer's office which existed just one year ago was not ready to take over the management of the county's investment pool, but today I feel that John Moorlach and his team have earned the opportunity to prove that they have the talent necessary to handle this initial responsibility.

Regarding "Panelist Says Moorlach Not Ready for Pool" (June 7): Isn't it wonderful. Now John M.W. Moorlach is calling Gary Pulford "a jerk" who "doesn't know anything." Doesn't know anything? A member of the county's Treasury Oversight Committee. Vice president of First American Trust! Isn't this the same type of political arrogance that got us into this mess to begin with? The assumption that the rest of us don't know anything? And only our "know everything" county officials do or did?